Former National Commission for Women President Rekha Sharma (ANI)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday announced the names of three candidates for the federal assembly by-elections. These by-elections will be held on December 20. The BJP has fielded three candidates from Haryana, including former National Commission for Women chief Rekha Sharma, for the by-elections.
Apart from Rekha Sharma, the BJP has also announced Riyaga Krishnaiyya of Andhra Pradesh and Surjit Kumar of Odisha as its candidates for the Lok Sabha by-elections. Rayaga Krishnaiah had joined the YSRCP in the early days and later joined the BJP. Similarly, Sujit Kumar from Odisha left the Biju Janata Dal and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Leave YSRCP-BJD and join BJP
Krishnaiya resigned from the Lok Sabha seat and left the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP). Similarly, Surjit Kumar resigned from the Upper House seat and then the BJD expelled him from the party.
In August, three seats fell vacant in Andhra Pradesh after YSRCP leaders Venkatraman Rao Mopidevi, Bida Mastan Rao Yadav and Rayaga Krishnaiah quit the Union House.
When does the semester end?
The term of Bida Mastan Yadav and Rayaga Krishnaiah as members of the Lok Sabha will end on June 21, 2028, while the term of Venkatraman Rao Mopidevi will end on June 21, 2026.
Apart from Andhra Pradesh, a seat in Odisha fell vacant when Surjit Kumar left the Lok Sabha seat. Following this, the Biju Janata Dal expelled him from the party. His term will end on April 2, 2026.
Similarly, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Krishna Lal Panwar also gave up his Haryana Union Lok Sabha seat after winning the recently held assembly elections.
The list of candidates was announced in a press release issued by Bharatiya Janata Party national general secretary Arun Singh on Monday. The names were said to have been approved at a meeting of the Central Election Commission.
In November last month, the Electoral Commission announced that by-elections would be held on December 20 for six vacant federal house seats in four states.
